RiverCare links scientific research to down-to-earth river management

RiverCare is a Dutch research program in which partners of the Netherlands Centre for River studies (NCR) work with several public and private parties to manage multi-functional rivers in a more sustainable way.

Nowadays river management becomes increasingly complex due to population growth, climate change and multiple functions of the river. In addition, there is a growing awareness that river management should be based on natural processes, as rivers are natural systems. RiverCare contributes to the management of multi-functional rivers by:

Increasing our understanding of how river interventions affect the geomorphology of rivers, which helps to improve the future design and modelling of river interventions.

Monitoring and mapping the effects of some of the Room for the River interventions in the hydraulics, morphology and ecology of rivers.

Applying the gained knowledge to collaboratively improve the management of these interventions and explore options to reduce maintenance costs.

Since 2015 twenty-one researchers (amongst which 16 PhD students) have been working in eight project groups on several topics, from hard-core morphodynamic modelling to framing collaborative governance. Bureau Waardenburg is one of the contributing private parties and is actively involved in the RiverCare programme through the user committee of the Project about “E) Ecosystem services of Floodplain Rehabilitation”. Thereby, we contribute to three subprojects, each carried out by an external PhD researcher. For Bureau Waardenburg participating in such a programme strengthens our connection to the scientific world. This feeds our consultants with the knowledge they need for tailor-made advice, but also for inspiring new innovations.